An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Porzellan

by Friedrich Kluge

Porzellan, neuter, ‘porcelain,’ Modern High German only. “This ware, at first obtained from China and Japan, was introduced into Europe by the Italians; porcellana in Italian originally denoted a sea-mussel, concha veneris; since this bore a great resemblance to porcelain, the name was easily transferred from the one to the other.”